RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia says four more people have died from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the total number of deaths to 32 in the Kingdom at the center of the growing crisis.

All in all, roughly 40 people have died from the virus since September of 2012, mostly in Europe and the Middle East. That's according to local officials and the World Health Organization.

The Saudi Health Ministry also said on Monday that it confirmed three more cases of the virus, including in a 2-year-old child. Officials are still seeking clues on how easily it is spread between humans.

The new virus is related to SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global epidemic in 2003, and belongs to a family of viruses that most often causes the common cold.